Monday, 25th September 2006 (4320 views)

Technology company Nanosphere is getting ready to put new genetic tests that make use of gold nanoparticles on the market, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The new testing method is designed to help doctors select the correct medicine for an individual patient, making it easier to treat them.

Most genetic testing is currently undertaken at large commercial labs but Nanosphere's method could be used in any hospital at affordable prices.

The firm aims to begin trials to determine a patient's ability to metabolise the anticoagulant warfarin, making use of gold nanoparticles attached to genetic probes. These in turn are designed to stick to genetic variations in the DNA. The gold particles change colour and signify how a patient will react to a certain treatment.

Nanosphere aims to "create new standards in discovery, medical care and public safety through the application of proprietary nanotechnology".

Nanoparticles are proving revolutionary in the field of biosciences because their tiny make-up gives them different characteristics to larger materials made of the same molecules.

 

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